Seattle Rep Hosts 11th Annual Playwriting Project Performance Tonight

As part of the 11th Annual Playwriting Project, Seattle Rep will present four new works by student playwrights from Roosevelt High School (Seattle) tonight, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Leo K. Theatre. Each student has written a 10-minute play under the mentorship of a professional playwright, and the works will be directed by Seattle Rep education staff and performed by student actors. The performance is free; however, ticket reservations are required by calling the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206-443-2222.

Seattle Rep has a long-standing tradition of partnering with Roosevelt High School for education projects. The Playwriting Project is also being facilitated by the Seattle Rep education staff at Liberty High School (Issaquah) and Woodinville High School, with performances slated for Spring 2013.

The Playwriting Project is one of many programs founded by Seattle Rep Director of Education Andrea Allen. Ms. Allen passed away Nov.15, 2012 after a prolongEd Battle with breast cancer. The Director of Education for 16 years, Ms. Allen created numerous programs to develop new work with teenagers, including TeenSpeak and the Playwriting Project, in which she mentored young playwrights and helped them conceive, develop, and construct their plays. She was also instrumental in bringing the August Wilson Monologue Competition to the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle Rep serving as host.

In collaboration with other Seattle Center campus theatres (Seattle Children's Theatre and Book-It Rep), she developed a teacher professional development program, Bringing Theatre into the Classroom (BTiC); with national partners she created the Teaching Artist Training Lab (TAT); and she worked on the Theatre Education Assessment Models (TEAM) with TCG, the national service organization for regional theatres.

Her work as a director has been seen at Seattle Rep in Speech & Debate (2010) and Circle Mirror Transformation (2011). As a theatre artist in Seattle, Ms. Allen began her involvement at Annex Theatre, where she was a company member for more than ten years, serving as Artistic Director for two years and collaborating on numerous projects as a director, writer, and occasional actor. She co-founded DXM, a community-based theatre company. A graduate of Yale University with a degree in Women's Studies, she held an MA in education from Antioch University. Ms. Allen also served as board president of ArtsEd Washington (Washington Alliance for Arts Education).

"Our world is altered with her passing, but soon it will be less about the loss and more about the legacy that has, and will continue to have, an everlasting impact on our lives, the life of our theatre, and the lives of all who Andrea touched," stated Seattle Rep Managing Director Benjamin Moore.

A celebration of life to honor Andrea and her incredible legacy will be held on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012 at 6 p.m. in the Bagley Wright Theatre at Seattle Rep.

In lieu of flowers, the Allen and Smucker families encourage donations to The Andrea Allen Memorial College Fund at any US Bank branch to support the college aspirations of her sons, Ulysses and Finnegan, and contributions to Seattle Repertory Theatre to help sustain the education programs that Andrea founded and fostered.

Seattle Repertory Theatre celebrates its 50th Anniversary with the 2012-2013 season. The theatre was founded in 1963 and is currently led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore. One of America's premier nonprofit resident theatres, Seattle Repertory Theatre has achieved international renown for its consistently high production and artistic standards, and was awarded the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. With an emphasis on entertaining plays of true dramatic and literary worth, Seattle Rep produces a season of plays along with educational programs, new play workshops and special presentations.